Every year people waste hundreds, if not thousands of pounds worth of energy in their homes.

Emma Dance talks to property guru Phil Spencer, who is working with energy company npower, to help people make their homes more energy efficient.

Draughty doors, wonky windows, leaving your TV on standby, could all be costing you more than you think, according to Location, Location, Location’s, Phil Spencer.

“Why bother saving energy? It’s simple really,” said Phil. “It saves money. And without being too New Age about it, to save the world.

“We are wasting a huge amount of energy and there’s only a certain amount that the planet can create.

“but it can be hard for people to identify where they are wasting energy. We know when we are wasting water or food because we can see it, but energy is invisible.

“Npower’s research shows that an average household could save themselves around £400 a year, just by taking some quite obvious measures.

“Loft insulation costs around £300 for a typical house, but it saves around £180 a year so will pay for itself in less than two years.

““Only 31 per cent of houses in the Bristol area have loft insulation

“Cavity wall insulation costs £500 and saves around £140 a year so that pays for itself in four years.

“Make sure you turn your appliances off rather than just leaving them on standby, and there’s no need to have your dishwasher on a really high temperature and the same applies to your washing machine. They are only small things, but the small things add up.”

Buildings in Bath might be beautiful, but for those with Listed status, making changes can be difficult.

But Phil says that owners of Listed buildings shouldn’t be deterred.

“My advice to people living in Listed buildings is to contact npower who can arrange for an assessor to visit. They will be able to see where the energy is being lost and offer advice on what can be done.”

And according to Phil, saving energy won’t just save you money. It could help you sell your house in the future.

“It’s good to be ahead of the game,” he said. “It’s not out of the realms of possibility that by the time you come to sell your home you will also have to demonstrate how much it costs to run. Equally, when you are looking to buy a house ask how energy efficient it is.”